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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25977172">Off the Deep End</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VivaJayne/pseuds/VivaJayne'>VivaJayne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cardcaptor Sakura</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Swim Team, Swimming</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:55:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25977172</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VivaJayne/pseuds/VivaJayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Li Syaoran has always been good at anything and everything he sets his mind to, so trying out for the school swim team should be easy, right? Sakura x Syaoran. Just a cute scene of Syaoran trying to pretend he doesn’t have a crush. (Written in collaboration with friends)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kinomoto Sakura/Li Syaoran</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Off the Deep End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why do we have to wear these stupid things?”</p><p>Li Syaoran complained as loudly as he could, making sure that everyone in attendance could hear him. He didn’t want anyone- teacher, student, it didn’t matter- to think that he’d <em>chosen </em>to wear this horrendous swim suit.</p><p>It was the middle of October, and it was too cold to use the outdoor pool for swim team tryouts. That was probably for the better; moving the meeting inside meant that there were fewer spectators to Syaoran’s embarrassment.</p><p>“It’s the school uniform,” Takashi jumped in proudly, holding his finger in the air with a confidence that Syaoran knew meant he was getting ready to go on a meandering tangent. “Due to it’s slim design and slick fabric, the suit also reduces friction and allows us to swim faster. You know, the Romans actually invented swim suit material to help their underwater assassins sneak up on…”</p><p>As he started to ramble, Syaoran looked down at himself.</p><p>The suit wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever seen, he supposed. It was black, with a thin blue stripe running down either side. The school’s logo was emblazoned next to the left stripe, small and inauspicious for the most part. No, the design itself was fine. The length, on the other hand…</p><p>Tomoeda Elementary never shied away from competitions, academic or otherwise, so the staff put a lot of time and effort into making sure every club and team looked professional and prepared. In the case of the swim team, this meant swim shorts that were a lot closer to speedos than trunks.</p><p>Syaoran had seen Olympic swimmers wear similar suits, and it always looked good on them. But they were full grown men, muscled and angular, so they had nothing to be embarrassed about or hide. Syaoran was an active kid, sure, but he was still a kid. He didn’t have rippling muscles or chest hair. He had scrawny limbs and a pale stomach, not exactly something he wanted to be showing off to the whole school.</p><p>Plus, the shorts were… tight.</p><p>Syaoran would never understand why the Romans invented these things, assassins or not.</p><p>“Oh hey!” Takashi interrupted himself- Syaoran hadn’t noticed he was still talking- and started waving in the direction of the bleachers. “Rika’s here! And Sakura!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>Syaoran whirled, realising too late that he probably looked like a freak, panicking like that. Takashi pointed to the stands nearest the emergency exit and, sure enough, Syaoran immediately located a gaggle of their friends settling into their seats.</p><p>“What are they doing here?” Syaoran groaned, his cheeks pinking. He hadn’t said anything to the others about trying out for the swim team; even Takashi only found out when they met up in the locker room to change. He didn’t want an audience for something so foolish- he wouldn’t even be here himself if the career counsellor hadn’t suggested it to beef up his future college applications.</p><p>“I asked Rika to come cheer me on,” Takashi grinned, waving again and then pointing to Syaoran. Rika waved at them both, making Syaoran’s ears redden. “I guess she told Sakura and Tomoyo.”</p><p>As if on cue, Tomoyo held up her video camera. Syaoran grimaced.</p><p>Why did they have to be here? As if this wasn’t already embarrassing enough, now he had to make sure he didn’t make a single mistake. He couldn’t mess up in front of Sakura, he’d never forgive himself. Did she make the soccer team? When were those tryouts? If she made the team and he didn’t, Syaoran didn’t know if he could show his face again-</p><p>Another person joined their little group, and Syaoran’s stomach dropped.</p><p>“Hey, isn’t that Yukito?” Takashi continued his never-ending wave, talking aimlessly at Syaoran. He wasn’t listening.</p><p>What was <em>he </em>doing here? At least the others were actually students; Yukito was probably only here because Sakura asked him to come. Or maybe Touya wanted someone to watch his sister after school. Either way, Syaoran had a much bigger audience than he bargained for.</p><p>Why was he even bothered by that, anyway? It’s not like he cared what they thought about him- he was here to do a job, nothing more. He should just ignore them, focus on the task at hand.</p><p>Sakura stood up on the benches, much to Yukito’s panic, and shouted an energetic cheer. Syaoran couldn’t hear her clearly, but he thought he heard his name.</p><p>Was she there just to cheer him on?</p><p>He tightened his jaw. No, he couldn’t be thinking about that. No, no. He had to focus. He had to-</p><p>“Li?”</p><p>Syaoran jerked his attention back to the other swimmers, each and every one staring at him with confused and expectant expressions.</p><p>The beet red blush quickly encompassed his face as he realised everyone was staring at him.</p><p>It was his turn.</p><p>With a grunt, Syaoran scrambled to the diving board.</p><p>Sheesh, why was he so nervous? It was just a school swim team, nothing to get this worked up over. He was athletic, this should be easy for him. Syaoran held onto that thought as he reached the ladder, his shaking hands slipping on the slick rail.</p><p>He could do this. It was just for extra credit, that’s all. No stress. No panic.</p><p>Syaoran’s eyes inadvertently darted over to the stands where Yukito was in the middle of handing out onigiri to Sakura and Tomoyo. He fumbled the last one, nearly dropping it right into Sakura’s lap. She just laughed, the tinkling sound reaching Syaoran even from across the pool.</p><p>Was she watching him?</p><p><em>Dummy, </em>Syaoran mentally cursed, forcing himself to scurry up the ladder. <em>Of course she’s watching. That’s the whole point of coming to </em>watch<em> the try-outs.</em></p><p>Did she want him to do well?</p><p>It was Sakura, so the answer to that was probably yes. Then again, she probably wanted everyone to do well. Why did that thought put him on edge?</p><p>The diving board was in front of him now, but it suddenly looked fifteen feet long. It was just a swan dive, just a simple, run of the mill swan dive. Syaoran had done a million of them before; he knew he could do another one. He just had to stop his stupid heart from beating so fast.</p><p>
  <em>It’s just a swan dive.</em>
</p><p>Syaoran took a steadying breath, lining up for the dive. The board was a bit longer than he was used to, but that’s okay. He just needed to add another few steps to his launch. Easy.</p><p>Deep breath, step, and he was off.</p><p>Syaoran knew as soon as his foot left the board that his dive wasn’t perfect. He hesitated just a second too long and his knee flinched, making him wobble. He was berating himself even before his hands struck the surface, leaving behind a bigger splash than even Takashi had made.</p><p>
  <em>Stupid!</em>
</p><p>As Syaoran surfaced, he snuck a glance at the coach. He was already finished making notes, which couldn’t have been a good thing.</p><p>“Great,” Syaoran grumbled, pulling himself out of the water with a bit more force than he needed to. “Just great.”</p><p>“That was amazing, Li!” Takashi gave him a hard ruffle on the top of his head, sending chlorinated water spraying in all directions. Syaoran mumbled a soft ‘thanks’, knowing that Takashi wasn’t saying that to be mean; he just genuinely didn’t know that Syaoran had messed up.</p><p>“We’re moving on to timed laps now,” the coach announced, instructing everyone to gather at the far end of the pool where the elevated platforms were located. “Same order as before. You’ll make one full lap, and I’ll post the roster tomorrow before homeroom.”</p><p>Syaoran followed Takashi as they made their way down the slick tiled floor. The platforms were closer to Sakura and the others, because of course it was. Syaoran had just embarrassed himself in front of his only friends and rival, and now the universe felt the need to rub it in his face.</p><p>“Are you a fast swimmer, Li?” Takashi was saying, not pausing to give him enough time to answer. “My great grandfather was an Olympic swimmer. Did you know the very first Olympics took place in the Netherlands in 1902? Yeah, it was a ritual celebrating the rise of the Norse God of Thunder…”</p><p>Syaoran wasn’t listening, focusing instead on getting his blush under control.</p><p>Today didn’t have to be a complete loss. Even if his subpar dive lost him a place on the team, Syaoran could still come out of this on top. All he had to do was nail the timed swim, and Sakura would be impressed. She probably didn’t even notice his fumble on the diving board- how much did she know about swimming anyway? What was he getting so worked up over?</p><p>Now that they were closer to the stands, Syaoran could hear the chatter clearly. Tomoyo was prattling on about how she could design a much nicer swim uniform- she probably could, even Syaoran knew how talented she was as a seamstress- Yukito was discussing something with Rika, and Sakura’s attention was fixed on the tryouts. Syaoran tried to look away in time, but he was a fraction of a second too late. They locked eyes, and he caught the beginnings of a dazzling smile before he managed to turn his head.</p><p>“You can do it, Syaoran!”</p><p>He flinched, his shoulders tensing. It was still new to him that she called him by his first name, especially in public. Takashi gave him a look that was equal parts confusion, equal parts smug, but Syaoran ignored it. He didn’t have time to worry about that. He had a timed lap to do.</p><p>There were several skilled swimmers in Tomoeda Elementary. Syaoran would have to beat them all in order to secure his spot on the team; he was pretty confident he could do that, as long as he didn’t get distracted.</p><p>Sakura was making that part difficult. Not that she was doing anything in particular- she was just… there.</p><p>Syaoran’s cheeks pinked again.</p><p>“Li? You’re up!”</p><p>Another deep breath. The walk to the platform wasn’t nearly as long as the walk to the diving board, but Syaoran felt every step like he was running a marathon. One, two, three more feet and he was hoisting himself onto the elevated platform, struggling to banish his nerves.</p><p>
  <em>I can do this.</em>
</p><p>“Come on, Li!” Tomoyo’s soft voice joined Sakura’s exuberant cheers, followed swiftly by Yukito and Rika. Soon, all Syaoran could hear were the avid words of encouragement from his friends. He felt a surge of confidence, and in one perfect push, he was off.</p><p>Syaoran didn’t count. If he tried, he would only psych himself out. No, Syaoran ignored his pacing entirely, focusing on each movement in sequence- kick, stroke, breathe. Kick, stroke, breathe.</p><p>The Tomoeda swimming pool had never seemed so long. Syaoran reached the end after what felt like an eternity, doubling back with renewed vigor. He was halfway done- halfway to what he hoped was a victory. For just one second, he allowed himself to picture what that would feel like, pulling himself out of the water and knowing that his friends had just seen him succeed. His chest swelled, and he pushed on.</p><p>By the time he reached the 3/4 mark, his legs and arms were stiff, his lungs on fire. He didn’t know how fast he was going, but it had to be as fast as the others, didn’t it?</p><p>
  <em>So close! Just a little bit faster…</em>
</p><p>Syaoran’s hand collided painfully with the stone wall beneath the platform.</p><p>He’d made it. For better or for worse, his tryout was done.</p><p>Syaoran began to shakily pull himself from the water, wondering why his ears were roaring like that. It wasn’t until his head popped up over the lip of the pool that he came face to face with Sakura and realised that it wasn’t his ears roaring at all- it was everyone else.</p><p>“You did it, Syaoran!” Sakura squealed, yanking on his arm as he surfaced. “You broke the record!”</p><p>“I- what?” Syaoran blinked in confusion, his brain scrambling to catch up to what was happening. Everyone in attendance- from the other swimmers to the spectators in the stands- were cheering wildly. Cheering wildly <em>for him.</em></p><p>“You broke the school’s all-time lap record!” Takashi yelled over the commotion, pointing at the massive timer mounted on the far wall. “By ten whole seconds!”</p><p>“I knew you were amazing!” Sakura let go of his arm just long enough to wrap him in an energetic hug, drenching herself in the process, but she didn’t seem to care. Syaoran didn’t hug her back, his limbs instantly going rigid as a deep crimson blush spread from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. “You’ll definitely make the team now!”</p><p>Well, at least that was true.</p><p>Sakura let go of him as Tomoyo, Yukito, and Rika joined them poolside. The coach looked to be a little annoyed at the sudden increase in audience, but he didn’t say anything. Tryouts were technically over now, after all.</p><p>“Great job, Li!” Yukito smiled, being careful not to slip on the tile. “You were a real speedster out there!”</p><p>Syaoran nodded in appreciation, but he didn’t respond. No, he was a bit too distracted.</p><p>Sakura was chatting with Takashi and Rika, guessing at who was going to make the team after Syaoran. Rika didn’t seem to think Takashi had what it took, but Sakura disagreed. She thought everyone was wonderful, and she didn’t know how on Earth the coach would be able to pick among them.</p><p>In spite of himself, Syaoran smiled. That was just like Sakura. Thinking back on it, he was glad she’d shown up. But, if you asked him about it, he wouldn’t for the life of him be able to tell you why.</p>
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